The Abyss: What Lurks Within
by Noel Ardnek
Summary: The world has gone mad. In World War 2 England everyone thinks that Nazi Germany is the only evil alive. This is wrong. The story shines on Lily and Kate once again, but this time all will discover that evil is not a racial disease, but a human one.
1. Returns Of Many Kinds

**Holy bejesus! I actually made a third part in a fanfiction series. This is now officially a trilogy! **

**This last part of the _The S_**_**_addest_ Beginnings Trilogy **_**is fretfully called *drum roll please*…**_**The Abyss: What Lurks Within**_**. While this isn't my best work, I think that you'll understand the title as the story goes on. **

**P.S There is a website for this fanfic trilogy. It's called:  
>http: / www. sad** **-beginnings-trilogy- fanfics . webs . com**

**It isn't completed just yet but I hope to get it done soon. **

**So this story is a Romance/Tragedy/Crime/Family kind of thing. I know, it's a bit much but also a bit intense for later chapters, which is why it's rated M.**

**Disclaimer: I own my OC's and (finally) the plot.**

**Enjoy! : ) **

**Returns of Many Kinds**

_William Glasser wrote "What happened in the past that was painful has a great deal to do with what we are today." _

There are many ways to begin a story. 'Once upon a time' seems to be a favorite among many mindless fairytales, designed to secretly tell children that a happy ending is on its way. So perhaps it's best to warn any who are reading this that this will be unlike a fairytale because of it's sad beginning. A happy ending may come, but in this story, it will arrive at a great cost. Let's begin with the nightmare of a young woman named Katherine Marie Ellis, or as she also likes to be called, Kate.

"_Is that her?"_

"_Yeah, real loon that one is."_

"_Imagining a different world, pretending to be some sort of queen, that's treachery and insanity all in one."_

"_True but she ain't as bad looking as the other broads here. Wouldn't mind checking on that patient."_

"_Keep it down you two. You know what the chief would do if he heard that kind of talk."_

"_Why? It's not like he actually cares about them. I heard from Carl that he was helping himself so some of 'em barely an hour ago."_

"_I don't care if h is. Just keep away from this one."_

"_Aaw, looks like Charlie has a thing for what's-her-face."_

"_Patient 246-01 is dangerous. You saw what she did to Dr. Steinman when he tried to take that picture of hers away."_

"_It wasn't that bad. She just punched him in the face. Frankly I don't think anyone wasn't happy that someone finally hit that bastard." _

_**And I don't regret it**__. Kate thought as she lied down on her side in Room 14, solitary confinement. She was able to hear the conversation however muffled through the white metal door. Dr. Steinman was notorious among both the doctors and inmates for taking anyone things and selling them to pawn shops or the black market, but no one could prove anything. The picture was initially worthless in money, but to Kate it meant everything. It was a picture of her entire family plus some other members she didn't recognize, and it was one of the only things that survived in the fire. The only reason that Steinman tried to take Kate's picture was because she made him angry by warning one of the nurses about him stealing money from her purse, though again nothing could be proven; Steinman's position was only second to the Chief of the Sanitarium. Kate was of course punished by being sent to Room 6, electroshock therapy, and later sent to Room 14 in a strait jacket._

"_Alright boys, I need to give this one her medicine." A new voice said, this time female. Kate's eyes squinted in concentration as her back was to the door. She didn't recognize that voice. Must be a new nurse, otherwise she wouldn't be so optimistic. She heard one of the orderlies open the door with a bang and the clicks or high heeled shoes before it was stifled by the padded floor and walls. She heard the padding of a pair of feet coming towards her before she heard another squeak of the pads, most likely from her kneeling down, before she heard the woman say "Open wide."_

_When Kate was unresponsive she felt a painful tug at her messy hair as she was forced to face her. Kate's eyes widened though with difficulty as the skin was pulled up along with her hair. This new nurse, with her curly blond hair and green eyes like Kate, looked incredibly familiar, though with all her intellect Kate couldn't pinpoint as to who this might be. Then the nurse whispered the strangest thing. "Only pretend to swallow it. I'll come back later." Then she said more loudly for the sake of acting "Eat it!" _

_Kate, not wanting to miss an opportunity, only pretended to gag as if the nurse was forcing the food down her throat. She pretended to become fatigued and made her head fall to the padded floor, closing her eyes slowly so as to make it appear as if the pills were working. She heard the nurse get back up and leave the room, telling the orderlies that Kate would be out for a few hours. _

_Exactly forty minutes and 26 seconds later, the nurse came back and closed the door behind her, much to Kate's shock. The nurse smiled cunningly as she sat in front of Kate Indian style, not caring that she was wearing a nurse's uniform, with a folder in her lap "Relax. My boyfriend's outside keeping watch, but everyone's at lunch break. Now let's talk."_

"_I can't imagine what you would possibly want to talk to me about." Kate said coldly. She had been in St. Dymphna's Institution for Troubled Women for six months, two weeks and a day. She had learned that anyone who wasn't an inmate would only be friendly because of three things: they were afraid of you, they wanted something of yours, or they wanted sex. Kate had been lucky out of all the girls for she had never fallen for any of the nurses of orderlies tricks. She always had a helpful ability to sense when someone's intentions were exactly pure. And this nurse was no exception, though since she was new Kate couldn't tell what she was after._

"_Oh but there are a lot of things interesting about you Kate, can I call you Katie?" __She said with a simpering tone, opening the folder that Kate realized was hers when she saw her picture clipped at the front. __**Nurses aren't allowed access to patient files, so how'd she get it?**__ Another thing that puzzled Kate was that the nurse wasn't wearing an identification badge, only a nametag that said 'Ruth'. "According to your recor__d, your known here as Prisoner-I mean Patient 246-01, and __you were brought a few months ago by your aunt Petunia Hollman."_

"_She's not my aunt anymore. I don't consider her family." Kate said bitterly, wondering how her mother, who was always so sweet and gentle, could have a nasty sister like that._

_Behind the eyes of the nurse, Kate could see that she totally agreed, though did not empathize. She continued "She literally brought you in here kicking and screaming like a maniac, which given the circumstances, may be true." This 'Ruth' woman seemed to try to be making a joke, but Kate was not laughing. So went on awkwardly "She told your doctor, Dr. Jackson, that the cause of this trauma might have been the deaths of your family. They were killed in a fire by one of your neighbors. You know that it actually it isn't the fire alone that kills somebody, all that smoke and the deadly chemicals in enter their lungs and then start choking on it." _

"_Show some respect." Kate barked when she saw this Ruth actually seemed to be enjoying talking about death. Ruth didn't seem concerned until she heard banging on the door. Ruth reacted by pulling out two items: a clear tube filled with some liquid and a syringe. _

"_What are you doing?" Kate asked using her legs to try and put some distance between them but ended up backed against the wall. Ruth drew the drug into the syringe and grabbed Kate by the leg and yanked her closer. Since Kate was already weakened by her session in Room 6 she could barely put up a fight as Ruth forced her head to the side and just barely pressed the needle into her neck._

"_Shh, shh, shh, there, there." Ruth soothed as Kate tried to toss her off by her restrained arms gave her no help along with her weakened mind and body. "I'm not sure when, but we'll meet again Little Sis." With those final words Ruth plunged the needle into Kate's neck._

"Ah!" Kate woke up with a start and the first thing she noticed was that it was incredibly dark. A light switched on and she saw Peter looking at her concerned. They were still at Diggory Kirke's home and she had had a few nightmares like that, some giving more violent reactions than others. Peter, against the Macready's wishes, started to sleep in the same bed with Kate as she would only go to sleep with him by her side.

"Kate, love, did you have another nightmare?" Peter asked gently wrapping her in a hug while she clutched onto him. This had become an unfortunate routine in their relationship but Peter was a patient man. He would do anything for Kate.

"Yeah, but this one was…so real." Kate said hoarsely as she lightly touched the place where Ruth had drugged her in the dream.

"Nightmares always seem real, that's why they scare us so much." Peter said resting them back on the pillows and holding her close, running his hands through her hair comfortingly. Just talking to get her mind off whatever the nightmare was enough therapy to get her back to sleep, and he knew it.

"I know but this one was different than the others. I swear I thought it was like looking at…at a memory." Kate said lifting her head and looking at Peter earnestly, green eyes to blue.

"Well was it?" Peter asked.

"It might be, but then this nurse, in the dream I was back _there_," Peter already knew about St. Dymphna's and understood "and this nurse came along and started…talking to me about my family. And the last thing I heard was her calling me 'little sis'."

Peter definitely became interested then. "But all your sisters were…are you sure that's what she said."

"I honestly don't know anymore. I'm forgetting even now. I suppose that's just my mind trying to retain what sanity I have left. 'Crazy Kate' is making a comeback. Brilliant."

"Hey, don't talk about yourself like that. You're not crazy and these dreams are probably just caused by all the pent up stress you have." Peter added a bit of playfulness to that last statement, hoping to make Kate feel better.

It worked as she said with a smirk "Peter Pevensie, are you remotely suggesting that I'm too stressed?"

He said with a smirk of his own "No, I'm saying that you _are_ far too stressed."

"I am not!" Kate whispered jokingly though she realized that if the Macready heard a peep out their room, formerly Kate's room, then she would quite literally storm the castle.

"_Yes_, you _are_. Now you need to rest. You've got a big day tomorrow, or more accurately, later." Peter said looking at the clock to see that it was one o'clock in the morning.

"I certainly do. Goodnight, Peter." Kate yawned snuggling into Peter's side as he drew the covers closer to them and wrapped his arms around her.

"Good morning Kate." Peter whispered, exhausted himself while Kate weakly slapped his chest. He grabbed her hand and held it there. It certainly would be a big day for Kate. After months of negotiation, Kate had finally convinced Claire's guardians, their Uncle and Aunt Samuel and Beatrice Ellis, their father's brother and his wife, to let Kate see her. While Kate was flattered by Claire's determination, she didn't want to keep her relationship with her own sister a secret. However talking their uncle and aunt into letting Kate see her was a huge struggle, but they finally got to do it. In a few hours she would be reunited with her little sister once again.

.

.

.

"Why don't you just talk to her?" Lucy asked her brother Edmund looked out the window of his room to look at Lily, the girl he fell in love with in Narnia. But in their England, their world, she was known as Lillian Fairwell, who lived with her brother and his fiancée along with little boy as their ward, in a house across their street for a week. Edmund also found out that Lily was blind, and currently she was on the porch of the two story house, reading a Braille book to their ward, a boy of 8 who delivers mail.

"Because that her older brother of hers is watching her like a hawk from his room." Edmund was right. At that moment Lucas Fairwell was watching Lily from his room, and when he noticed Edmund watching he sent him a glare that should've iced over the road between the houses before disappearing from view. Lucas's fiancée, a woman named Ruth, then reappeared and stared at Lily like she had when she and Edmund experienced when they were in Narnia; like an insect that needed to be squashed.

"Then I'll talk to her. I feel like it's been years since we've spoken. I still can't believe that she's here." Lucy said.

"I can." When he saw Lucy's inquisitive look, he explained "When we were on the _Dawn Treader_, Lily told me about the dreams she had when she had her nightmares. And we even shared a vision once, when she-"

"When she what?"

"…when she kissed me…Anyways, I saw that the clothes, the house that she's living in, practically everything about them are what you see outside. And I did try talking to her. Yesterday I went over to her house and introduced myself….she didn't even recognize my voice." Those last words sounded choked to Lucy, and she then realized just how heartbroken Edmund must've felt. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders, a bit awkward as he was now much taller than she, and gave him a light squeeze.

"I'm going to go talk with her. I don't think her brother will mind a _girl_ watching his sister." Lucy said causing Edmund's cheeks to go slightly red at the implications.

"Hello there." Lucy greeted cheerfully as she stood in front of Lily and the little boy, who she noticed was clutching a sack that seemed to _twitch_ every minute or so. The boy had brown eyes lightly covered with blond hair, and he still retained some baby fat. Lucy couldn't help but feel he looked oddly familiar.

"Caleb, who is that?" Lily asked, retracting her dainty hands from the page. Lucy saw that it was a Braille book, but when Lily closed the book she saw that the cover it said _'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'_.

"It's the lady who lives across the street." The boy, Caleb, answered grabbing her hand while clutching the bag.

"My name is Lucy Pevensie. Sorry I didn't give you a proper greeting when you first arrived; I guess I'm just a little…"

"Shy?" Lily supplied, and Lucy's eyes watered when she heard her voice. She had no idea how much she truly missed Lily until that moment. "It's okay. Though I suppose my brother certainly hasn't made it easy for you. But you mustn't blame him, he's just overprotective. Want to join us?"

"Sure." She said readily and sat on Lily's other side, the one not occupied by the boy who stared at her like he was trying to determine her next move. Now she really felt like she had seen him before, somewhere. Then, speaking to Lily, she asked "So, you're name's Lily right?"

"Yes, my name's Lillian Fairwell, but I guess your brother told you that already, right?"

Shocked, Lucy asked "How did you know I had a brother?"

Lily smiled, and then hugged the boy around the shoulders after she freed her hand from his clutch. "Caleb told me. As you can see, my eyes are a bit useless to me, so Caleb is my eyes and extra ears." When Lucy looked at the boy again he shrunk into Lily's side. Lily turned her head towards him and her face contorted into a concerned look. "It's okay. She's not going to hurt you." Lily soothed before turning back to Lucy. "Caleb is a bit shy around strangers ever since we brought him home."

"Brought him home? You mean he's not a relative of yours?"

"No, before we moved here, I met Caleb when he was running a paper route back in Harrow." Lily said patting Caleb's head in a motherly fashion. She then whispered to Lucy "It was horrible for him there. The other, older children and their boss treated him and Nasla so badly."

"You told!" Caleb nearly shouted but he stopped when they heard a creak from inside the house. They all turned but when the ones who could see didn't see anyone approaching, Caleb whispered fiercely to Lily "You promised you wouldn't say anything!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. But I have a good feeling about her." Lily whispered back, leaving Lucy quite confused.

"Excuse me, what are you two talking about?" Lucy's voice made them turn and by their expressions they had both temporarily forgotten her. Lily then turned to Caleb. "Go on, show her."

Caleb grudgingly did so, sending an angered look towards Lily before opening the bag just enough for Lucy to see a cat inside. This cat was grown, with a sort blond hair and intelligent green eyes that looked at Lucy before she nodded and closed her eyes, as if formally introducing herself to Lucy.

"A cat?" Lucy asked, wondering what the big deal was.

"Her name's Nasla, and she's not just a cat. She's my best friend." Caleb said reaching inside the bag to scratch Nasla's head which caused her to purr contently.

"This is exactly the problem if my brother, Lucas, were to find out." Lily said with disgruntled tone to her voice.

"What do you mean?"

"Lucas hates animals. More specifically, he hates the idea of having a pet in the house. So does Ruth. Caleb has had Nasla ever since he can remember (which isn't long) and he couldn't bear to be separated from her. If Lucas found out then not only would we be in trouble, but he might kick out Caleb and Nasla." Lily had no idea why she trusted this girl so much. Even she knew that trusting a girl who seemed nice but was still a stranger was a bad idea, but she couldn't deny that she had a good feeling about this one.

"How awful!" Lucy said, feeling dreadful for her friend who didn't remember her and the little boy who now started to stare at her strangely. She then thought up of an idea. "I've got an idea. What if you let me bring Nasla to my house and when you're brother and his fiancée are away you can visit her?"

"You'd do that for us?" Lily asked but they were soon interrupted by the sound of the door opening and out came Lucas himself, his blue eyes, identical to Lily's, staring hard at Lucy. The way he looked at her sent frightful shivers down her spine, and a voice in her mind told her to run away, but the rest of her wouldn't listen.

"Lily, who's this?" Lucas asked stepping forward, causing Lucy to stand up and away from him out of instinct. There was something undeniably disturbing behind that composed face.

Lily was the only one who seemed to be relaxed around him. "This is Lucy Pevensie. She's one of our neighbors."

"Hmm…" Lucas didn't seem totally convinced of this but decided to play along nonetheless. He stepped even closer and Lucy couldn't help but notice that Caleb visibly winced, which caused her to become extremely worried and suspicious. He then held out his hand to her with a smile, which she accepted. "Well, thank you for coming over, though I would've thought that the welcoming party would've started earlier and with more than just one person." Suddenly he went from suspicious personnel to charming young man, only making Lucy more doubtful.

After shaking his hand, she retracted hers and said "Sorry, we're not really used to new neighbors and we didn't know if it would be okay with you."

"We?" Lucas inquired but he already knew about her brother.

"My brother, Edmund. He's in the house right now and-"

"I know. I could see him from my window." Lucas said then his eyes focused on something behind Lucy. When she turned she saw that Edmund had already crossed the street and was coming towards them at that moment. Lucas had been able to compose himself into the mask of a friendly new neighbor, and had Edmund and Lucy been regular teenagers they would've thought just that. But something was different about this man, and it was something that sent chills all across their bodies.

Lucas seemed to be concealing some unknown hatred for Edmund but to the two Pevensie's none was apparent. However Lucas caught the way that Edmund kept glancing at Lily with something in his eyes. _Affection?_, Lucas thought. _No, the stupid kid is probably just horny. If he comes anywhere near my sister I'll rip him to bits. Come to think of it…that wouldn't be such a bad idea. Ruth and I were getting a little bored. _"And you must be Edmund. Pleasure to meet you." Lucas said putting his hand out though it twitched a little bit because he felt ugly, black hatred towards this boy. Lily was _his _sister; she belonged to no one else but him.

Edmund put his hand in Lucas's to shake it but was surprised by the amount of force was going into it. It was like Lucas was trying to break his hand with his own. If not for his experience in not only physical strength but also mental preparation and an overall calm Edmund was sure he would've cried out from the pain. As soon as was accepted, Edmund retracted his hand and subtly stretched the muscles to get the circulation flowing again. "Well it's nice to meet you, um…"

"Lucas. Lucas Fairwell. And this is my sister, Lily." Lucas introduced them never taking his suspicious eyes off of Edmund. Edmund realized that he had seen this same look when he saw Peter being overprotective of any of his younger siblings (to which he knew that Kate would roll her eyes), but this was different somehow.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you." Lily said for the first time since Lucas had entered and held out her hand in a handshake, but when Edmund accepted (Lucy had already talked to her) she didn't grasp his hand but felt his shoulders and patted the top of his head. "You're quite tall. And your voice is deep. You must be around…16 or 17, am I correct?"

"Um, yes. That's right."Edmund said after swallowing a lump in his throat. He hadn't seen her for months and coming face-to-face after so long…it was a tremendous emotional strain. In front of him was a girl who looked and sounded exactly like _his_ Lily, and he deeply wanted to believe it was her. But after the few minutes he had spent, he couldn't help but feel like his heart was being torn in torn. She didn't even remember him! How was he ever going to find a way to be with her again like they had before if she didn't even remember him? It was one of the most bittersweet meetings in his entire life.

.

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.

After Edmund and Lucy left (Lucy left with the bag, lying that it was hers) Lily, Caleb and Lucas went back inside in the house. Lily and Caleb made themselves busy with finishing unpacking the rest of their things while Lucas decided to check in on Ruth. Lucas went into their room and opened the door to find the curtains closed and Ruth on their bed, with only a robe on. He smiled, seeing what she was playing at and he took off his shirt. These two were as far from conservative as a human could get, or rather as far from human as a person could be.

"Who was that Lucas?" Ruth asked staring at the ceiling while he crawled next to her.

"Just one of the neighbor's kids. The Pevensie's I think." Lucas answered wrapping an arm around her waist while she wrapped hers around his neck pulling him in for a long kiss.

After they were down, Ruth said "Lucas, I think we should get married."

Lucas laughed. "Love, we _are _getting married."

Ruth just continued while kissing his neck "But I want to get married. Right now."

Lucas pulled back from her kisses and looked at her confused. "Our wedding is supposed to be in two weeks."

"Well the ceremony isn't big anyways. We only invited your sis, the Indian and the kid."

"But Lily wants to be there for the wedding. I am the only brother she has left."

"I don't think she'll be too heart-broken."

"But-"

"Baby," Ruth scolded kissing him on the lips and tugging him so that he was leaning over him. She knew she had him when she saw the pure look of lust in his eyes. ", I think that with all that we're going to do for the honeymoon, I doubt that little sis will want to be present."

Lucas was torn. The only people he loved in the entire world were Ruth and Lily, and right now he couldn't decide which girl he wanted to please more: Ruth his fiancée and bride-to-be, or Lily the biological family he ever loved from the start. He knew that Lily would be hurt about not being there for the wedding…but he would find something to make it up to her.

Lucas looked down at Ruth with a fire in his eyes, reflecting the green fire in hers. "Alright, let's elope."

Ruth chuckled, sending a strong feeling through them both as they were pressed against each other. "Till death do us part."

**I got the idea for Kate's patient number, and if you look hard enough a lot of the numbers, from **_**Les Misérables**_** Jean Valjean's prison number, 24601. Long live Le Miz! **

**Any questions at all? How was Lily blind? What will happen when Claire and Kate meet again? What is up with Lucas and Ruth? These will probably be answered in the next chapter. Oh boy you have no idea what's coming up…**

**Reviews are appreciated, of course! **

**Bye! **


	2. Gaining Some Nerve

**Disclaimer: I own my OC's and (finally) the plot.**

**Enjoy! : ) **

"_He who plants a tree plants hope." _**~Lucy Laroom **

**Gaining Some Nerve **

"What do you mean I can't come to your wedding?" Lily asked angrily as Lucas was packing his and Ruth's things in the trunk. The day after Lily met the youngest Pevensies Lucas had just told her that he and Ruth were "eloping" and that Lily couldn't be there for their wedding. Needless to say this did not go over well with Lily.

"I know that you're upset but this is for the best. We're down on the bills and a big wedding would just be a waste." Lucas hoped that his little sister would still be naïve enough to just leave it there. Sadly with each passing day, no matter how much he tried using her blindness to make her less earthly, she still became a wholesome young woman who asked too many questions for his liking.

"But it wasn't going to be a big wedding in the first place. The only guests were going to be Ayah Priya, Caleb and I. And if we're talking about money then we shouldn't have moved in the first place."

Lucas slammed the trunk of the car a little too hard, forcing himself to take a deep breath instead of tearing into Lily. He never hurt Lily, or let her see him angry, but because of those dreaded teen years it was getting more and more stressful to control her. And it was becoming obvious to him that Ruth was getting annoyed too. _Maybe this eloping thing isn't such a bad idea after all. _Taking a few deep breaths and calming down because the idea of the honeymoon came up, which would undoubtedly relieve his stress (though not entirely for reasons in our comprehension), he said "I'm sorry that you can't come to the wedding, but I promise that I'll make it up to you. Somehow." Lily still didn't look sure, though her eyes were raised to the sky as they usually were, and Lucas lifted her chin and kissed her forehead. This was perhaps the most intimate he could get with his sister without feeling some form of disgust. All Lily could comprehend, however, was that her big brother made her a promise, which she was sure she would make him keep.

Ruth then came out of the house with Caleb carrying her bag (which she strictly ordered him never to open) and saw that Lucas was kissing Lily's forehead. Jealousy and overwhelming anger coursed through her body like a force of nature. _That damn kid. Why can't she just die already? _Ruth then barked at Caleb to hand her the bag and walked to Lucas, saying "Come on, love, let's go." before going into the passenger seat and slamming the door shut.

Lucas whispered to Lily "Remember what I told you. Don't answer the door unless you're sure that it's Priya, who should come this afternoon, don't talk to anyone, don't-"

"-'go out on my own unless I have someone we can absolutely trust with me, and absolutely, under no circumstances am I to talk to strangers.' _I know_! You've given me this same talk for as long as I can remember. I'm pretty sure my first words were 'I'm not supposed to talk to strangers'." Lily tried to make a joke out of it but Lucas was dead serious. He knew _exactly_ what was out there and what kind of scum would gladly take advantage of a young blind girl. The hard stare Lucas gave Lily scared Caleb who ran hid himself behind Lily. He had been scared of Lucas ever since Lily brought him and Nasla home. Even Nasla had a bad feeling about him since she hissed, nearly getting herself and perhaps even Caleb killed right there and then.

Lucas saw the boy, but enjoyed in watching his fear. "Boy!" Lucas barked, causing Caleb to jump in his place, but he revealed himself just enough so that Lucas could see him but also close enough to Lily that he could hide behind her again. Lucas kneeled down and whispered dangerously in his ear "If anything happens to Lily while I'm gone, I will hold you accountable and _punishable_ for _every_ act. Get in the house." Without another word Caleb pulled on Lily's hand and guided her into the house while Lucas got into the car and drove away.

"Did you get everything we need love?" Lucas asked his soon-to-be-wife who was just opening her precious bag. Inside were a couple of bottles of liquor and two guns, an Enfield Number Two Mark One revolver and a semi-automatic Beretta 92F.

"Where did you even find this?" Ruth asked picking up the Beretta and looking it over with fascination. She had never seen a gun like this but as great as it looked it was really her style.

"Some American bloke in the war-profiteering business who got it straight off a new line, though it's not 'officially' on the market yet." Lucas said whilst driving on like what he just said was common, which to him it was.

"Not official, huh? It must've cost a lot of bobs. So, how'd you really get the gun?" Ruth asked with a mischievous smile on her face.

Lucas returned a mirrored impish smile of his own at a stop light and then bent over to kiss her, which she returned immediately. "I bashed him over the head with a wine bottle. How else?"

"Well that was a waste, wasn't it?" Ruth asked with a barely serious look on her face.

Lucas raised his eyebrow "For killing someone?"

"No, for wasting a perfectly good wine bottle." Ruth said biting her lip playfully. "You really are a naughty boy aren't you?"

Lucas chuckled before kissing her again. "You know it."

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The entire time at the Farwell residence, Nasla the Burmese Cat watched dutifully from a window in the Pevensie window and hissed when she heard Lucas threaten Caleb. Caleb may have been the Farwell's ward but he was placed under her care by the Great Lion, Aslan. Unknown to anyone else, Caleb was not born in England, and as much as this story teller would love to give away this secret, the timing wouldn't be right. Anyways, Aslan gave Nasla the gift of Intelligence, and placed young Caleb under her protection. In summary, Nasla would die protecting Caleb.

"Nasla, what are you doing by the window?" Lucy asked after locating the cat she was about to feed. Lucy did keep her promise of taking of Nasla so far and Nasla was a pretty agreeable animal, but it scared her a few times when the blond cat would disappear, because she feared that Lily would become angry with her. However at the thought of Lily and what she had become Lucy became saddened because that cat was the only viable connection they had with each other in England, in their world. "Well come on. I've got some milk and fish ready." At these words Nasla's ears perked up at this and she looked at Lucy who was setting down a bowl of warm milk and another (disposable) bowl of fish chunks on the ground. Nasla was hungry, so with on final look at Caleb, she hopped down the window and helped herself to the meal. She considered herself fortunate enough that she was able to not only oversee Caleb, but to be in the guidance of two of the four Kings and Queens of Old. Queen Susan was already there though she rarely stayed in the house, choosing instead to go out with friends instead of spending time with family. Nasla also heard her say about how she thought 'Narnia' was just a game her siblings liked to play. Luckily High King Peter, as she was informed of earlier, would come later that week, bringing with him Queen Kate the Powerful. Oh yes, Nasla considered herself very fortunate indeed.

Lucy bent down and started petting the cat who, although prideful, would only allow those of the Narnian royalty to pet her like a Dumb Beast. When Aslan gave her Intelligence, she was given the history of Narnia. From its creation and the witnesses Diggory Kirke and Polly Plummer, to end of the Hundred-Year Winter and the beginning of the Golden Age, straight to the last stop of the Voyage of the Dawn Treader. She knew.

Edmund then walked into the room and saw Lucy petting Nasla, the cat of Lily's ward what's-his-face…Calvin or Carlton? To him the boy didn't matter nearly as much as his guardian. He had sent a letter to Peter and Kate telling them about Lily the day she moved in and got their reply. He looked down at the letter and read for perhaps the 15th time:

"_Dear Edmund, _

_Both Kate and I got your letter about Lily, and we're both terribly sorry that she lost her memory. But we both want you and Lucy to not lost hope in her because now she's going to need you more than ever. Kate suggests that you try to befriend her first before trying to coax the memories out. She believes that if she has lost her memories then they may be still there buried under the surface, though quite frankly I think you should be more direct in your apsjdnd" _In that part of the letter the ink was blotched because Kate smacked him over the head. _"Sorry, about that. Kate decided at that moment it was appropriate to hit me. Anyways, at least try to find out what she knows and what her life is like know before trying to talk about Narnia with her. Kate wants to write now."_

Another paragraph with different handwriting stated _"__**Edmund, I am truly sorry about what happened with Lily. I'm not sure if any of this will be comforting but perhaps Aslan has a reason for doing this. Until Peter and I get back to Finchley I really can't give you much direction about what you should do, but I can give you some advice for now. First off, since she doesn't appear to have memories of Narnia you shouldn't try being King Edmund the Just, but simply Edmund Pevensie. Try to be her friend and most of all, just be there.**__"_

The last paragraph was in Peter's familiar handwriting. _"I know it's going to be difficult trying to restart your relationship with Lily, especially after where it ended, but give it time. Give my best to Mother, Lucy and Susan as well. I won't be able to meet any of you at home until the end of the week at best. I'm going to help Kate get settled in and we're going to meet her sister Claire. I hope Mother won't take it too hard._

_Your brother, Peter _

_**Your friend, Kate.**__"_

"Hey Edmund, look!" Lucy's voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he walked up next to Lucy who had stopped coddling Nasla and was looking out the window at Lily's house. Intrigued Edmund walked over to the window as well and saw that Lucas was getting into a car with Ruth and driving away, with Lily waving in their general direction.

"Are they leaving?" Edmund asked though he was barely thinking about them. He was thinking about how Lily was finally out of the sight of her eagle eye brother and that maybe he could talk to her without slightly fearing for his safety because of Lucas.

"Looks like it. I can't see them any-where are you going?" Lucy asked when she saw Edmund run out the door of her room and race down the stairs, nearly toppling Susan over on one of the rare days that she stayed at the house. Susan looked at Lucy from the stairs with a questioningly glance but Lucy simply shrugged. Susan rolled her eyes in annoyance and continued to her room. Susan was losing faith in Narnia, and so when Lily appeared she just thought that maybe Edmund met her before previously and thought it silly that he was mooning over her. But then she felt like the feelings Edmund was showing were too strong for it to be coincidence, but she knew that Narnia was just a game she and her siblings played while in the country. So why was that so hard to accept completely?

Edmund calmed himself down so that he didn't seem too eager and walked across the street to Lily's house. He knocked the door without thinking and that's when the doubts came. _What's the matter with you, Edmund?_, He thought. _She doesn't even remember who you are and now you're going to seem like a stalker! Brilliant._

He was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a car pull up in front of the house and an elderly Indian woman wearing a blue sari coming out of the car and, seemingly not noticing Edmund, went around to the back of the car. Opening the trunk Edmund couldn't help but think that she was rather frail looking and that she couldn't even get her suitcase out.

"Ma'am, let me help you." Edmund said gaining the woman's attention and a warm smile from her.

"Thank you, young man." Priya Dalmiya knew that he was there, and she learned a long time ago that most English men like to prove themselves by helping a 'defenseless' old woman. So she learned to use it to her advantage and let Edmund grab her other bag as well. Also she was curious as to why this young man was in front of her charge's house.

"No problem. Is this your house?" Edmund asked to see what she would say.

"No, this is my charge's house." Priya said and went to knock on the door but was beaten to it as Caleb voice asked "Who's there?"

"Priya Dalmiya." Priya said a bit surprised. She had only recently been called by Lucas to take care of his sister because he would be eloping with his fiancée, so she wasn't fully aware of all of the residents of the house. They heard someone talking to Caleb and soon they heard many locks clicking open until Caleb opened the door for them both.

"Won't you come in?"

.

.

.

"Oh God, I don't think I can do this."

"Kate, love, relax. You've been waiting for this for over a year. You can do this."

"I don't think I can, Pete."

"Oh for pity's sake, you've fought armies of dark creatures and dark men alike."

"Yeah, well I'd rather face them than do _this_."

The thing that Peter and Kate were arguing about was that Queen Kate the Powerful and unofficially Kate the Strategist was losing the nerve to talk to her little sister. Though it was not totally for ill reason, it did hold irrational fear. Kate hadn't talked to Claire since the court hearing where the idiot judge (in Kate's opinion) divided them among their family members. During negotiations dealing with Kate visiting Claire (Kate loathed the word), she and Claire exchanged letters and talked about their lives. For obvious reasons they avoided talking about St. Dymphna's, but however brilliant Kate was she was terrified that she didn't know how Claire truly felt about her time spent there. And finally when they (her aunt and uncle) agree to let her and set up a meeting (which would take place outside of Claire's school), Kate began to feel fear which rivaled none before it.

"Kate, you are being utterly ridiculous. Everything will be fine." Peter had given her assurances like this the entire drive from Kate's lodgings (Peter didn't like the idea of her living alone so he offered her a place at his parents' home (which they granted) but she politely refused) to the school but nothing seemed to get through her usual stubbornness, especially now that it was strengthened by actual worry.

"But what if she thinks that I'm crazy like the rest of my family? What is she doesn't even recognize me?"

"How could she not recognize you?" Peter asked in a joking manner, hoping that it would relieve some of the tension, but it did not appease Kate. However, instead of looking angry as he would have expected Kate showed him an emotion he had seen only once before, in _Aslan's How_.

With total seriousness and sadness, Kate said "Peter, sometimes I wake up in the morning and when I have to look in the mirror, I think 'Oh, that's me. How pathetic do I look?', and I think that that's as bad as it gets. But when I see that picture of my family, before any of this madness began, and I see what I _used _to look like…I just can't think. I can't form a single thought because when I check the mirror again, all I see…is a stranger."

Peter and Kate had certainly grown closer since they had come back from Narnia, especially when they had admitted not a month previously that they loved each other (a major step for them both mind you.) But for Kate to open up her soul to him in such a way to him, because he knew that she was certainly not the type of woman to do such things on a regular basis, this act just made him love her even more.

Cupping her face gently he gave her an even gentler kiss. "You want to know what I see?"He asked, and when she looked at him as if to see 'Get on with it.' he continued "I see a beautiful and brilliant woman who's been dealt a hard time in her life, but it's these same struggles that have made her even greater. And the reason you can't recognize yourself in the mirror is because you've changed for the better. Do you think that the Kate before could lead armies, govern an entire people, be called crazy and face adversity yet still come out of it?"

Kate looked up, slowly warming up to him and letting Peter crumble her defenses. The only other man who could ever do such a thing was her late-husband Aldric, and because of this she was at first concerned if she was betraying him in some way. Peter never pressured her into the relationship (he would never push her in anyway, not that he really could), but she didn't want to feel like she was forgetting him. Though from assurances from Lucy, Edmund, Susan and even Claire when the letters started coming, and especially in that moment when Peter was trying to comfort her, Kate was sure that she wasn't making a mistake. She truly did love Peter; there was no doubt about that.

"No, I suppose not." She answered finally, and then kissed him which he immediately reciprocated. During those times in England, public displays of affection were often frowned upon if they went beyond simple hand-holding or chaste kisses, but those rules of propriety didn't matter to Peter and Kate. They loved each other and although they weren't exactly the type to snog in public, when it came to showing each other their feelings, whether it applied to their world's laws of decorum, they just didn't give a damn.

The school bell rang then and the couple broke their kiss, smiling affectionately at each other. Looking up at the school Kate said "I love you, Peter."

"I love you too, Kate." Peter said kissing her forehead before asking "Are you ready?"

Kissing him one more time she answered "Definitely."

**I'm sorry! I really meant for Kate to reunite with Claire in this chapter but that last sentence was just such a good ending for this and I also wanted to pave the way for another marker in this story. Again, more apologies.**

**Like in my other stories I always await at least 5 reviews per chapter. And reviews are appreciated. **

**Enjoy! : ) **


	3. Reunions Can Be Scary Business

**Now Kate reunites with Claire! So sorry for putting it off!**

**Also I want to give a shout-out for FelipeMarcusThomas who totally found the anagram between Nasla and Aslan! That totally made my day! **

**Disclaimer: I own my OC's (and finally) the plot.**

**Enjoy : )**

"_Family faces are magic mirrors. Looking at people who belong to us, we see the past, present and future. We make discoveries about ourselves." _**~Gail Lumet Buckley **

**Reunions Can Be Scary Business**

Samuel and Beatrice Ellis were not the most open-hearted people. When Samuel found religion a few years before his brother's death he and his wife became religious people and raised their son to be a good member of the Church of England before his untimely death, and they tried passing on these teachings to their niece Claire. Though because Kate had spent time in the sanitarium, Samuel had been the one to become extremely reluctant to let Claire see her, as he saw Kate as the bad seed of the Ellis family. Beatrice was only a bit less difficult, though that wasn't saying much. There was a very real possibility that they would never let Claire see Kate if the younger Ellis didn't silently rebel against them; behaving poorly in school, making subtle threats about her hating them, and even going as far as openly threateningly to reveal, or at the very least let slip, the circumstances of Abraham Ellis' death. Oh yes, Claire was a silly girl but could be surprisingly resourceful when needed.

Samuel and Beatrice were both in their late 40's and both had stern looking features. Samuel had blond hair, a trait he shared with his late brother, and had the same green eyes as well. However for Samuel time had not been very kind to him as age lines of the signs of graying hair had begun to show. His wife aged a bit more gracefully but since she always seemed to keep her lips pursed even when she didn't try to her face seemed to take on that form.

They came out of their car and saw Kate and a boy, whom they assumed was the boyfriend she spoke of (Patrick? Hunter?), waiting for them. Samuel grimaced when he saw Kate, at first because he was still reluctant of her, but then a creeping realization came over him. Kate looked like the female version of her father, with her blond hair and green eyes, as he remembered the good times, and the bad. But even more scarily, Kate looked like Ruth. However, he felt no need to divulge this as even Kate couldn't remember who Ruth was, so why reveal such a thing when the girl was still clearly unstable? Before this train of thought is taken further, keep in mind that Samuel did not like Kate and that this snap decision was not an act of kindness, but of self-preservation.

They walked toward them until they were face-to-face, and the two elderly couple could not help but notice that the boy held Kate's hand and sent her looks of encouragement. _Boy must be a fool_. Samuel thought bitterly, though even he couldn't tell if the bitterness was from his dislike of Kate or the fact that he suddenly felt possessive of her. He remembered when Kate used to be brought over to his house and she would watch the tube while he and Ruth- _No! Those thoughts are sins, and sins are against the Bible. The Devil will try to tempt the weak ones, but the strong will prevail._

"Katherine, it's good to see you." Beatrice said trying to be civil. Even though she wasn't any less suspicious than her husband, she believed more in redemption than he had. This, as many a reader will learn later on, would be an example of extreme irony considering why he had become so devoted to God.

"It's good to see you too, Aunt Beatrice." Kate hardly considered anyone other than Claire her family anymore. Tragically speaking, Kate was drowning in the misery left by her family's massacre and not a single one of them made an attempt to save her. What's worse they kept her for nearly two years from the only family she had left. But now that didn't matter. She was going to see Claire and that was all she cared about.

"Hello, is this the young man you spoke about over the phone?" Beatrice asked looking Peter up and down. She was trying to discern _exactly_ what his relationship to Kate was. Truthfully speaking she was expecting to see merely vain feelings. However, even on the surface, it became clear to her that this young man meant very much to Kate, and amazingly (to Kate's aunt and uncle) these feelings were reciprocated.

Peter, although holding as much (if not more) contempt for these people who abandoned Kate as the said girl did, held out his hand in a greeting. As Samuel took it reluctantly Peter said "Hello, sir, ma'am. My name is Peter Pevensie. It's a pleasure to meet you."

After Beatrice accepted his, Samuel said "Let's continue on with the arrangement." The 'arrangement' was that Kate would have 15 minutes with Claire in the school courtyard. The staff had been informed of Kate's visit, excluding her other 'visit' to the sanitarium (until Claire contacted Kate everyone tried to pretend that the latter Ellis didn't exist for the sake of the 'family dignity') and wouldn't try to intervene. Fifteen minutes was all Kate would get almost alone with her sister (Samuel, Beatrice and Peter would be approximately 10 feet away) after more than a year of loneliness and confusion, but Kate wanted nothing more. It took months for them even to consider the idea so she wasn't about to waste her time. They all walked in silence to the courtyard which had already been disserted by this time as it was 3:15.

And there, sitting by herself reading a copy of _Les Misérables_, was Claire Sarah Ellis. Claire looked a lot like her sister except for the eyes, which were blue like her mother's, but she did share the same blond hair that was among only three of the seven Ellis children. Claire's hair was shorter by fair, at least shorter than Kate remembered, as it only reached the back of her neck. She was dressed in her St. Agnes School for Girls uniform, which consisted of a dull grey skirt with a dark blue jacket with dark stockings. Claire hated her uniform because the school practically tabooed the use of creativity or originality. If someone added even the tiniest bit of jewelry, like her friend Marjorie did with a costume ring, they would get detention. Luckily she hid a 'blood-bond necklace' that Kate gave her for her 12th birthday tucked in her plain white shirt.

Claire was by nature a silly but resourceful girl. She, at first, believed that if she simply waited until either Kate or she was 18 then they would be reunited and she wouldn't have to live with her aunt and uncle. It wasn't that she didn't like them but she would have much preferred being with the only sister she had left. It still left her baffled to this day why they separated them in the first place after such a tragedy, but one day when she was fiddling with the necklace it opened. Inside she saw dried blood, and remembered the day on her 12th birthday when Kate lightly cut both their fingers so that a single drop of each of their blood would swirl on the inside. Kate told her that this way, no matter how far apart they were, Claire would always have a piece of her with her so that they could remember the good times

That's when Claire became tired of waiting. She was going to see her sister and she would do anything to meet that end. However she soon realized that her own 'family' would do anything to stop that from happening. So she took matters into her own hands by skipping school one day and taking a taxi to Kate and Peter's old school. She found that to get information out of the Headmistress of St. Finbar's and on that first day she thought that maybe it would be all for nothing. But by happy accident while she was waiting for another taxi to pick her up she heard a girl talking to someone named Kate. At first she thought it could have been anyone until she heard the girl admonish the girl on the other end for apparently calling herself 'Crazy Kate', instead of 'Kate Ellis'.

Once the girl was done with her call Claire immediately flagged her down and asked her who she was talking to. When the girl became wary of this stranger who was demanding answers, Claire told her who she was. The girl then introduced herself as Hannah Mitchell. She told Claire that she was friends with her sister and in their 45 minute talk when Claire asked a question about her sister then Hannah answered. When it was time for Hannah to leave she gave Claire the information she needed to start a journey towards reuniting her sister.

Claire didn't know why but at that moment she decided to lift her blue eyes from the words on the page and saw the one person she felt connected to in this entire world: Katherine Marie Ellis, her big sister. Claire, although a bookwork by nature, dropped the book unceremoniously on the table without even putting in a bookmark, and stood from her seat. The Ellis sisters looked at each other for a long moment before walking slowly towards each other. Their hearts were both hammering in their chests, each with their own fears. Kate of being rejected, Claire of being unwanted.

They only became aware that they were standing in front of each other when their feet stopped moving on their own accord. They looked into each other's eyes, green to blue, before Claire finally spoke "Katie-"

She couldn't even finish because Kate grabbed her in a tight hug, not even caring if this unsettled anyone else. Just hearing Claire calling her by her old pet name set an on slot of old memories. Except this time instead of the bad ones that kept her up at night, these opened up all the good memories of them playing together or just laughing and smiling. Kate held Claire closely to her and held her like a lifeline. Kate needed to feel her sister in that embrace, just to know for sure if she was real. She was.

However for a terrifying moment, Kate was worried that Claire would push her away or her _guardians _would take her away from her. But then all her fears and sorrows were lifted from her shoulders like a boulder being freed away when she felt arms snake around her waist and pull her closer. Both girls began to cry softly as they held each other, all uncertainties being alleviated as their reunion finally commenced.

After the tears came laughter as the girls sat down together and talked about their lives. Kate told her about everything that happened to her, except about Narnia or St. Dymphna's, and blushed when Claire lightly teased her about how Peter was very handsome. They took turns and Claire mentioned about how she didn't like her school or her Headmistress but she did like some of her teachers and that she had a best friend named Marjorie. Marjorie Jones was a real trouble maker and sometimes she dragged Claire along with her.

"And the Marjorie and I ran as fast as we could when we heard the janitor shouting down the hall." Claire said through bubbles of laughter and Kate wouldn't have laughed if it wasn't so funny. She didn't like that Claire was getting in trouble but she just couldn't help but appreciate her resourcefulness. And even after a year she knew that Claire was a good girl.

"But Claire, what did that man do to deserve you pulling rat traps in his desk drawer?" Kate asked laughing a bit herself.

"Well he's just generally nasty to everyone, and he particularly enjoys using his broom to swat kids when they're not looking, so we decided to give him a swatting himself. And besides that one wasn't even mine, but it sure was funny hearing him go 'It snapped! It snapped! Waaah!'" Claire then began laughing even harder with tears in her eyes while Kate began laughing loudly herself.

"This just goes to show that you're a naughty!" Kate said lightly swatting Claire's leg, an action that did not go unnoticed by her guardians who would've broken the reunion had Peter not intervened. Peter had never seen Kate this happy before and he wasn't about to let those people ruin it for her.

Unfortunately not even King Peter the Magnificent could stop the hands of time or at the very least break Samuel Ellis's watch because all too soon the time came for Claire to go home. Neither of the girls wanted their time to end because neither truly knew when they would meet again, but they would both be damned if they didn't meet again soon.

"I promise that I will see you again. Don't worry Claire-Bear." Kate said smoothing down a stray piece of hair away from Claire's face.

Claire smiled at the use of her nickname that she used to hate but now it felt so good to hear. "Alright Katie. But if you want to see me again, just find me here." Claire slipped Kate a note and left with their aunt and uncle, who both looked relieved to finally be able to leave. While they drove away Claire waved at Kate who waved back longingly.

Kate felt someone wrap their arms around her and pull her into an embrace from the back. Kate knew those strong arms anywhere. "Are you okay?" Peter asked pensively, unsure if she was happy to see her sister again (as he would be when he saw his siblings) or sad now that their time was over.

Luckily for them both when Kate turned her clearly saw a smile on her full red lips. Kissing him on the lips she whispered "Wonderful."

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.

.

Quite some way away from Finchley, Ruth and Lucas just entered a small off-the-road convenience store. To anyone they looked like any couple picking up supplies on a road trip or something, but if they knew just exactly what these two were carrying they would've skipped the trip to the small shopping stop and called the police.

"I'm just saying that it's insulting." Ruth said as they walked into the store. There were about eight other people inside, including an old man who looked to be the owner.

"What is?" Lucas asked perplexed. All he said was that she was 'his woman' and suddenly she gets fussy. _Women._

"Saying that you own me, it's…conforming."

"That's a bit old fashioned don't you think?"

"I don't want to be a possession."

"Marriage is about…love and commitment, not possession. Remember that, love." Lucas pointed out picking up a bar of candy while Ruth rolled her eyes. "Think about it. Don't you want kids someday, Sunday dinners?"

"I like Sunday dinners, but we have enough kids in the house already." Ruth said with a bit more annoyance in her voice, something that Lucas didn't miss.

"Oh come on, Lily's not bad. Most of the time Priya will take care of her."

"And the boy?" Lucas contemplated Ruth's question, and then answered "We'll deal with that problem when the time comes. For now, let's talk about us." He then snatched up a costume ring from one of the shelves. "Getting married means that we won't have to worry about all that stuff alone, but that we'll do it together. Don't you want someone to change your diapers when you're older?"

"Love, if I _ever _need diapers, you need to do your duty as a husband and take me out back and shoot me." Ruth said but Lucas chuckled and kissed her.

"Don't do it son." The old man said while pouring himself a cup of coffee.

Lucas looked over to him annoyed. "Sorry?"

"It is not worth it. Once you're married you're stuck with the same woman until one of you croaks. The romance fizzles, she gains 10 pounds and then all you've got to look forward to is Death knocking at your door." The old man chuckled and drank some of his coffee. "Marriage is overrated."

The old man just signed his death certificate.

After a few more chuckles, no one noticed that Lucas and Ruth were not at all amused or that Lucas reached for behind his shirt and in the blink of an eye shot the old man. They all heard the sound first but none of them were prepared for what happened next. While next ran over to the man and shot him repeatedly, Ruth took out her revolver, took aim and fired at anyone in her line of site. Lucas soon joined her and they starting kissing and laughing as they had their fun with the other innocent victims. Glass exploded, blood spilt on the floor and the room was filled with frightened screams and laughing.

By the time they left with a new shotgun (courtesy of the old man who kept one in case of a robbery) there were right dead bodies inside the store. Later on this would only be the brutal beginning of a coupel of spree killers.

**Okay, I get that maybe some of this might make you guys confused but this will totally make sense later on. Any questions or comments you would like to leave? About Claire and Kate's reunion? About Samuel Ellis' rather disturbing thoughts? How about, oh I don't know, the fact that Lucas and Ruth just shot up a convenience store?**

**Oh and if anyone could give me Bible references about sin or the like then that would be great. **

**Not that I don't appreciate it, but please don't favorite/alert unless there's a review. **

**Bye! **


	4. Out and About

**I'd like to thank "the-wedding-planner's-daughter" and "SaguaroCactus" for joining my website which is:**

**http: / / sad-beginnings-trilogy-fanfics ./**

**Disclaimer: I own my OC's and (finally) the plot.**

**Enjoy : )**

"_Every parting is a form of death, as every reuinnin is a type of heaven."_** ~Tryon Edwards**

**Out and About **

Caleb kept a resilient watch on Edmund and Priya both. He didn't know either of them well, and although he had met Priya once or twice before, he wasn't going to let them out of his sight. He was certainly like his mother on not being too trusting, but he didn't know that. As far as Caleb knew, he didn't have any family other than Nasla. He couldn't remember anything from what might've been his old life, only a few seemingly useless things. One was that his very first memory was of what seemed like Nasla standing in front of a giant yet kind lion that seemed to glow. The second and last was of someone holding him while a lullaby was hummed and they both sat on a rocking chair. This memory he enjoyed the most because he knew it was a woman, and he began to fantasize that it was his mother singing to him, but whenever he tried to get a good look at her face, it blurs. The best he could go on was that she had blond hair but in England that didn't exactly narrow things down.

Edmund had just placed Priya's suitcase on the floor when the elderly woman shouted "Lily! Sweetheart where are you?" The sound of footsteps was heard immediately and Edmund's heart lurched when Lily finally emerged at the top of the stairs. He heard her click her tongue a few times while turning her head before she called out excitedly "Auntie Priya? Is that you?" before grabbing the handrail and carefully walking down the steps.

Priya immediately starting fussing over her and nearly bolted up the stairs, a move far too quick for a woman her age. "Lillian, what have I told you about going down the stairs too quickly? You are going to break your neck one of these days and then what?"

"Auntie Priya, I'm not totally helpless you know." Lily said with a roll of her dull blue eyes while Priya helped her down the stairs. Edmund missed how her eyes used to almost literally sparkle whenever someone treated her like a doll. Now for some unknowable reason her eyes had lost that vibrant, lively hue. He didn't know if it was just his loneliness and despair that made him think of Lily in her previous life in Narnia as greater, but one thing was certain and that was that she was…different.

Once at the bottom of the stairs Lily did that same click but this time had a bemused look on her face. "Priya, who else is here?"

"It's me, Edmund." Said boy introduced himself.

"Oh yeah, from across the street." Lily said, feeling happier already. She always liked it when people, particularly boys, had enough backbone to come over to her and introduce themselves rather than do nothing. Although shyness was cute, Lily always did prefer emotion rather than passivity. Not to mention this Edmund person sounded cute.

"Thank you for carrying my bags inside." Priya said thankfully before pulling Lily closer to whisper in her ear "He's such a nice young man, and not too bad looking either."

"Auntie Priya, will you just drop it?" Lily asked with a blush creeping up her cheeks. Priya had always tried to do the best for Lily since she was like her own daughter. She tried getting the best clothes, the best school accustomed for her blindness, and also the best life possible. But one thing that annoyed Lily to no end was that Priya tried to find her the best 'suitor' as she called it. However Priya Dalmiya was not an easily impressed woman so Edmund was either a really good guy or he made one good impression.

Edmund didn't really know what to do. As much as he wanted to stay he didn't really have any viable reason to, at least none that he could present to the three residents. He had been taught for many years, both in England and in Narnia, never to overstay his welcome. "Well I think that I should be going-"

"Oh no, no, no! Why don't you stay?" Priya said nearly blocking his way to the door with a welcoming hostess smile on her face.

"Um, that's okay, I wouldn't want to impose on-"

"Oh nonsense. We just love having guests over, especially since Mr. Fairwell and the soon-to-be Mrs. Fairwell are away." Priya rambled on bring Edmund closer inside and 'accidently' pushing him towards Lily. She was surprisingly strong for her age so Edmund was sent stumbling towards Lily who didn't even have time to react before they nearly crashed to the ground. Lily let out a squeal of shock when she felt that shock pass through her, though that dark shock was replaced by a shock of pleasure when she felt Edmund wrap his arms around her so that he could put them both upright.

However once they were both on solid ground Edmund did retract his arms, however he instead placed his hands on her waist, as would be appropriate but Lily didn't uncurl her finger from where they were fisted on his shirt. One of the advantages Lily found to being blind was that all her other senses were enhanced. Even when she was sick she could still make out a theoretical map of her surroundings, though they weren't nearly as sharp. For example she could feel beneath her fingers Edmund's heart beating much faster than she thought it should have. She heard his quickened breath as it fanned over his face, and she smelled his musky scent as it invaded her nostrils. There certainly was something undeniably attractive about him that made Lily blush at new realizations. She had been interested in boys since she was twelve but because of her blindness and Lucas's overprotection that nearly stemmed to insanity not many became interested in her. However this Edmund…for some reason he was interested in her. Lucas had made sure to try and implant it in her head that all men were only after one thing. His exact words were:

**Flashback**

"_Lily, men any age are only after one thing. And that one thing is something that you can never give them." Lucas had just begun this after Lily told him that she became friends with a boy in her class and she thought that she might like her back. Lucas, in a kind way of saying, did not like it at all. He had it rooted in his mind that this boy, although only twelve like Lily, was only after her for physical pleasures. _

"_But Lucas, Alex is a nice boy. He makes me laugh because he likes to make me laugh." Lily said while Lucas adjusted bandages over her eyes. It had been nearly seven months since their parents died and their…well, since the "Incident", as Lucas calls it, and Lily still needed to bandages for her eyes. Even though the doctors said that her blindness was psychosomatic the fire still did some damage to her eyes so the light would bother her until she could see an optometrist could see her. _

"_That's what they try to lure you with. You remember what I always tell you about strange men?" Lucas questioned._

"_Never talk to them and if they do scream for help. I know Lucas, but don't you think it's a little silly to act like every person I meet is going to kidnap me or something?" Lily questioned sarcastically but all humor was lost when Lucas made her face him from inside her room at a _temporary_ foster home. Even though Lucas was eighteen the court was still trying to determine if he would be a suitable guardian for his sister over their uncle whom he vehemently refused to let Lily go to._

_Clutching her small shoulders in a death-like grip, Lucas growled "Don't joke about that Lily. You listen to me very carefully. There are a lot of sick people out there who would like nothing more than to take advantage of a blind twelve-year-old girl. You have to act like everyone is going to hurt you or you won't survive out there. Am I clear?"_

_Lily feebly nodded her head, then felt Lucas loosen the grip he had on her shoulders and hugged her lightly around the shoulders. Lily couldn't help but think that he would always be willing to hold her hand in crowds, sometimes so tightly that it cut off the circulation. But on few occasions would he hold her, though she would rather him than their father who rarely held her anyways. But there was someone else who would hold her, and she hadn't seen him or even heard his voice since the fire. _

"_Lucas?" Lily asked while he hummed into her hair. _

"_Hmm?" He hummed while smoothing down her hair._

"_You aren't after 'the one thing' for me, are you?" Lily heard Lucas laugh a deep chuckle while he held her tighter. _

"_Now that is one thing that you will never have to worry about. I love you Lily."_

"_I love you too, Lucas."_

**End Flashback**

Lily was pulled out of her memory when she felt something pulled herself and Edmund apart. She heard Priya laugh a hearty laugh and then heard Caleb's high pitched eight year old voice say "Watch yourself Pevensie. Keep your hands where I can see them."

Edmund had faced a lot of adversaries in his time, from old decrepit men to arrogant young ones, but facing off against a protective eight-year-old boy with his fists up in a bad boxer's position made him reserve all his energy from not laughing out loud like Priya was. He guessed that laughing would only infuriate the boy further, though it was sorely tempting seeing his chubby cheeks turn red with either anger or embarrassment, the latter because Priya was still laughing.

"You have a lot of spirit don't you, एक थोड़ा." Priya said walking over to the children with her hands on her hips.

"What she'd call me?" Caleb asked his cheeks losing their redness in his cheeks only to fill it with the confusion in his head.

"It means 'little one'." Lily explained, learning tidbits of Hindi since Priya's family had been taking care of Fairwell children since the mid of the 19th century. "She used to call me that when I was younger."

"And I also called you 'छोटे उपद्रवी**'**."

"What does that mean?" Edmund asked with a intrigued state of mind.

"It means no-"

"It means 'tiny trouble maker'! And you were for all the times you played pranks on your mother and father. Now come on, go show Edmund into the living room while I prepare lunch." Priya said pushing them into said room before going off into the kitchen.

Lily started making that same clicking sound while turning her head back and forth and feeling the room around her. "Come along then." A few more clicks of the tongue and she sat down, patting down a place for Edmund but was taken by Caleb who gave Edmund a pretty good stink-eye. Edmund could've sworn that he saw that same stink-eye somewhere before but he couldn't peg it down. Maybe he would ask Kate about it since she was coming over in no later than an hour.

"Caleb, be nice and scoot over." Lily said making space on the couch for Edmund but Caleb refused for Edmund to sit directly next to Lily. Lucas told him to make sure nothing happened to her and he used Caleb's fear of him to his advantage. However even without that Caleb felt like he owed Lily everything for literally pulling him out of the gutter.

Edmund took a seat next to Caleb so that the boy was in between the two teens, smiling to himself because he knew that neither of them was hormonal enough to try and kiss or touch while he was there. No one would want to corrupt an eight-year-old boy's _innocence_, and after learning how to sell newspapers to saps he could use this to his advantage. Lily was the first human friend he made (for his first friend had been Nasla) and he wasn't going to let anyone hurt her.

They all sat in an uncomfortable silence because they didn't know what to ask or how to ask it without it seeming to invasive or rude. Unfortunatly for Caleb uncomfortable silences were something that he did not enjoy. Breaking the ice he asked "How's Nasla?"

"Oh, she's good. It's only been two days but Lucy's been taking very good care of her." Edmund said and Caleb let out a sigh of relief. The older boy then continued "So where did you two live before you came to Finchley?"

"We lived in Harrow before. Actually my whole family's lived in Harrow for generations." Lily said proudly.

"Might I ask why you moved?" Edmund asked though regretted it as soon as he saw the pained look on Lily's face. Caleb glared at him though softened when he looked at Lily.

"My parents died in a fire when I was eleven, and I guess we just needed to get away from it all." Lily said in a sad whisper.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"It's okay. Not a lot of people care to ask, or at least care to apologize sincerely. Doesn't it just annoy you when people say they're sorry when they're not?"

"Believe me, I know the feeling." Edmund said sending Lily a purposeful look. Caleb then nudged im in the ribs and whispered "Ask her to dance."

"What?"

"Just do it." Even though Caleb had previously been wary of Edmund, he figured that the best way to help Lily at the moment was to have some fun. Caleb then stood up and turned on some light jazz music that seemed to set the mood, a bit slow but with a lively feel to it. Edmund asked Lily to dance and at first she was cautious but then she conceded and they started dancing. At first it was tense but then they both started to get into the feel of it and started laughter and in Caleb's case clapping along to the beat.

However all good feeling ceased when the music stopped and a man on the radio announced _"We interrupt this music for a special report. Late last night a convenience store just outside of Finchley was robbed with murderous intent. Eight people were reported dead with no survivors. However police have discovered that there were at least two gunmen. It is unclear if this will become a series of murder/robberies or if this is merely a one timer. However all citizens of Finchley, if not all of England, should be careful as these two robbers are still out and about." _

**I know the timeline is kind of screwed up but please deal with it. I planned it kind of wrong. **

**Anyways please don't hate me as I am going to change my review rule for all my stories so now instead of 5 reviews for each chapter I'm asking for…10 for each. Now I hope that it's not too bad for any of you, so I'm enforcing this…now!**

**Bye! **


	5. Murder As A Phenomenon

**Again, for any who are interested, the website for this trilogy is **

**http: / / sad-beginnings-trilogy-fanfics . webs. com **

**Disclaimer: I own my OC's and (finally) the plot.**

**Enjoy : )**

**Oh, and preview of the next chapter to anyone who can guess FIRST who I based Ruth and Lucas off.**

"_What really raises ones indignation to suffering is not suffering intrinsically, but the senselessness of suffering."_ **~Friedrich Nietzsche **

**Murder As A Phenomenon**

It was gruesome scene that met Private Inspector Jankowski and his team from the Finchley Police Department. James Jankowski had worked as an officer of the law for 15 years, and he had yet to see anything like what happened at 'Uncle Ben's Off Road Convenience'. Sure, he had investigated a number of robbery-homicides, but certainly in not as many numbers. The sheer brutality in the murders was unique in its own right. Bodies were scattered around with blood coating the floor and flashes from the bulbs of cameras went off as the local police took pictures of the crime scenes.

"Well, what do ya' know? Jigsaw Jankowski back on the scene." Officer Colin Brady said almost happily as he shook hands with his old friend. If not for the grim scene around them then he might've invited him for a night out, but considering the circumstances were not so bright he would save that for a later date.

"I'd like to say that it was good to be back, but considering the 'welcoming comity' I'm afraid this is strictly a business call. So what so we have?" Jankowski asked looking around with an analytical eye. He was a private inspector for a reason. He spent years on the Finchley police force and even became a Captain until an unfortunate incident that 'forced' his superiors to terminate his employment.

"Eight dead, all shot in different areas of the store. There are five in the main area, one by the shelves on the left, one who tried to escape through the rear door, and the owner is in the back. These seven of the eight were merely shot as far as we can tell, at least until we can get an autopsy. We're still recovering any possible casings but- I think you should see the store owner yourself." The two elderly men went to the back and with years of practice were able to hide any outward show of disgust.

"He was sodomized." Jankowski said with a low grimace in his voice.

"With a tire. The rubber has melded right into the skin. But…"

"But what?"

"…There's a blood trail from the outside to here. That's a long time to drag a body."

"Well this store is away from the main roads so the criminals were able to spend as much time as they could with the victims. However, other than this there are no signs of torture or overkill."

"So do you think he was they're intended victim? And hwo do you know that there was more than one?"

"Because they are smeared footprints in the blood with one pair is smaller than the other, so this is probably a two man team. So we're either looking at a two male team or a couple."

"You mean a woman did this?" Brady asked not believing it. For those times it wasn't highly known, or rather highly accepted, that woman could in fact be serial killers. Even less if the killings happened anywhere else other than the United States of America. This kind of thinking became known as the Chikatilo Syndrome, named after Andrei Chikatilo who was one of the most prolific serial killers of the 20th century. By the time the authorities apprehended him he had killed more than 50 women and children. Chikatilo had no more intelligence nor experience in killing than a mugger, but the Soviet Union and many other countries at the time – and even later – believed that serial killing was uniquely an American phenomenon; an inevitable result of "decadent capitals". People in family oriented countries, such as Mexico and others, believe that serial killers are the result of a broken family, which gives to the kind of alienated loner who becomes a serial killer.

"It's not impossible." Jankowski said looking at his friend sternly. "Mary Ann Cotton murdered up to 21 people using arsenic poisoning. Elizabeth Báthory and four other accomplices were accused and eventually convicted of murdering hundreds of young women and girls. So yes, a woman could have done this."

"How do you even know it's a woman? There were no witnesses."

"I never said that one of them was a woman positively. I merely said there was a possibility. Unfortunately there's also a possibility that the pair will strike again."

"How do you figure?"

"Because there is blood coating the walls of this store, all possible witnesses were killed but not a dime was taken out of the cash register or any of their wallets. The only thing they stole was a shotgun from the wall – and as seen from the shadow left a shotgun most likely – and some imperishable food. It most likely means that they are on the run or traveling in a car. And it also means that they have no intention of stopping in the future."

"So there's going to be another massacre? I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that a woman might have done this." Officer Brady said admonished. He's seen a lot of things during his career – things that had cost most of his friends on the force either their jobs or their marriages – but this was definitely up the list. There were eight people dead and if what Jankowski said was accurate there would be a lot more bodies to come.

"We're still only operating under the assumption that there this is a partnership, not that one of them is a woman. However, I would advise you as a colleague and a friend that you should not presume that there is not a possibility. I've found that after all these years of working with you and others on uncountable cases that evil is not a gender or racial phenomenon, but a human one."

DIIFIF

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.

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_**Later that night **_

By law in some countries, a person or persons officially become a serial killer(s) when he/she murdered three people in a similar and/or pathological fashion. It is also known that there are two types of killers: organized and unorganized. Organized killers will plan their kills meticulously in advance and will prepare the type of locations of the kidnap and/or kill, the weapon(s) of choice and the victim(s) in question. Unorganized killers, however, will have next to no plan in mind and will usually be killers or opportunity. Guess which faction Lucas and Ruth fell in.

The two were at it again but this time they were far more ruthless than before. Earlier they had signed a marriage certificate and were legally married, so as a celebratory start to their honeymoon they decided to go out and drink and kill again. This time they went to a gas station and only wounded the owner first before they killed six others. Ruth killed a teenager who tried to run out back, a schoolteacher who was just running scared, but then wounded a man in the leg so that he couldn't run. Lucas shot two sisters who were just in to buy food for one of the sister's children, and then killed another man who tried to reach for a weapon, all the while spreading rice everywhere. They then beat the poor old owner with a crowbar until they got tired, grabbed some wine and then chained the doors and left the man Ruth wounded inside.

Once in the car they began snogging until both were out of breath. They began drinking again, each taking a swig out of one of the wine bottles. They Ruth lit a cigarette and smoked for a minute before putting it outside the car and tapping it twice; letting the hot ash fall onto the gasoline they had laid out. It lit up and raced like an inferno to the main valve until it exploded a safe distance away from them. The man they left alive however was not so fortunate as the shockwave shattered the windows and the shards killed him.

"Whoo!" Ruth whooped joyously.

"That was a bit of a rush, wasn't it?" Lucas asked and then he and Ruth kissed again.

"I love you so much." Ruth muttered against his lips.

"I love you too." Lucas growled back before they drove off, the thrill of their latest kill still coursing through their veins.

**This is a shamefully short chapter, at least in my opinion. I just wanted you guys to get a glimpse at the law enforcement of my understanding and Lucas and Ruth's most recent crime.**

**Reviews are always welcome, especially 1+sentence ones. **

**Bye!**


	6. Ghosts Can Be Real Too

**Congratulations to SaguaroCactus for being the first to guess correctly. I did base Lucas and Ruth on the infamous murderous robbers Bonnie & Clyde, but there's another factor in their creation as well. After you read this chapter there be another note, but read my chapter first.**

**So since SaguaroCactus guessed it first, I think one of the quotes of this chapter will serve well.**

**Disclaimer: I own my OC's and (finally) the plot.**

**Enjoy : )**

****_"Truth makes many appeals, not the least of which is its power to shock."  
><em>**~Jules Renard **

**Ghosts Can Be Real Too**

Peter and Kate were driving to the Pevensie home after dropping their things off at Kate's house. They didn't speak much since Kate said goodbye to her sister (though this would not be that last one) and it was a thick silence. They both had their own thoughts but Kate's was heavier. She wanted – no needed to see Claire again, and after being depraved of familial love for almost two years she was not going to go back to feeling abandoned. She felt so lucky not only for seeing Claire again but also knowing that like her the love had never ended. But now she had a new obstacle to face. She had only met Mrs. Pevensie on one or two occasions, one of them being Christmas, and she found her to be a kind and pleasant woman, but more importantly accepting. However Kate didn't want to push her luck and had practically begged the other Pevensies (Susan included) not to mention anything about 'Crazy Kate', and Kate Ellis did not beg. She hadn't even met Mr. Pevensie and was even more nervous because of it. If only she realized that 'Crazy Kate' wasn't even the real her, and that who she really was would make anyone love her.

"What are you thinking about?" Peter asked as they neared his old neighborhood. He too felt a little nervous about introducing his girlfriend to his entire family, and hoped deep down to gain their approval. He wasn't worried that Kate would embarrass him in some way, or even on the off chance that she would be scared off, that wasn't like her. What he was really worried about was not only her parents accepting her, but also Kate accepting herself. For so long, he's seen that she's denied herself happiness because she feels responsible for the deaths of her family, in England and in Narnia.

Kate exhaled slowly and deeply. "Just wondering if your parents will like me or not."

"Well Mum likes you, she's told me in letters and over the phone." Peter assured her.

"What about your dad?"

Peter thought for a second before deciding "Dad was always a little rough around the edges, not unlike someone in this car-"

"You." Kate butted in quickly causing them both to smile, their teeth showing.

"But" Peter continued "I know that you two will get along great."

Kate's smile for a second before it disappeared when she said "But…it's not just me they're going to meet. 'Crazy Kate' always has a way of showing up, along with the ugliness that comes with it.

Peter parked the car as they reached the front of his house, thinking about what to say next. He then grabbed her hand firmly but not roughly, trying to convey this message through to her. "Kate, 'Crazy Kate' never existed. You, the real Kate, was just stuck behind her for so long that you taught you could never escape her. But you can. You've got your sisters, my siblings, and me, and soon enough you'll have my parents. And one day they will learn about 'Crazy Kate'," when Kate made to protest he held his hand up "but that won't be for a while. I don't like keeping secrets from them any more than you do, but they should know. And when they know the _whole_ truth, or at least what we can tell them, I'm positive that they will love you as much as I do."

"You mean it?" Kate asked feeling very vulnerable at the moment and doing her best to keep it up. Peter kissed the hand he held before kissing her cheeks, her forehead and then gently her lips, making her feel…precious. "Okay, I believe you."

Lucy, who was going up the stairs to fetch a book she wanted to read, but interrupted when she felt Nasla nudge her leg. The human-animal pair had grown closer in the short time they were together and both shared the common bond that Lucy and Lily had once held, they were both more than they appeared. "What is it Nasla? Are you still hungry?" Lucy asked, deep down hoping that the cat would answer but knowing that in her world it was not possible. So imagine her happy shock when the cat shook her head like she understood and jumped up to a windowsill and pressing a paw to the windowpane. Lucy, wondering what had just happened, walked over to the window and saw Peter helping Kate out of the car. "They're here! Mum! Dad! Edmund! Susan! Peter and Kate are here!"

Lucy ran down the stairs like a child going down to open presents on Christmas morning, and nearly pushed Susan down as well. Susan, who was becoming more irritable by the day, scowled as her sister continued barreling down the steps. Susan called after her "Lucy, please attempt to act more dignified."

Edmund, who had heard the commotion from his own room, passed by her and felt a little annoyed. Although, he managed to mask that emotion with simple playfulness that he knew would drive Susan ever crazier. "Come on Su. She's just excited that Peter and Kate's here. Besides, maybe you should give it a try."

"Give what a try?" Susan asked annoyed as she and Edmund walked more civilly down the staircase.

"Having _fun_." Edmund annunciated the last word, smirking as he left a stunned Susan on there with her mouth hanging open for a second before recovering herself.

"I do have _fun_." Susan countered catching up to him in the doorway as they watched Lucy grab both Peter and Kate in a great Lucy hug. "I went to a party with Angelica last weekend."

"That's not what I meant." Edmund said meaningfuling while Lucy befre chattering away with Kate and Peter, saying how much she missed and trying ot catch them up with what had happened as much as possible.

Susan looked at him confused for a moment before catching onto his meaning. Rolling her eyes she said "Oh, do stop trying to drag me into those childish games again."

Edmund then became more serious and whispered so their parents or the neighbors would overhear "Susan, you know as well as I do that those weren't games."

"_Yes_, they were." Susan whispered as well. "We just made it up during our time at Professor Kirke's estate."

"Susan, why do you delude yourself into thinking that none of it was real? We all feel it – You, Peter, Lucy, Kate and I – we know it in our hearts that Narnia is real."

"Edmund, e_nough_. Do you even listen to yourself? You were the one who said that Lucy was just making it up when this whole mess started. Besides, you can't even prove it, if any evidence was possible. If you go rambling around the town like a lunatic claiming to be a monarch of a made-up world you'll end up like Kate – discredited and abandoned." Suddenly Kate pushed past them both to get into the house and when they looked again they found Peter and Lucy staring at Susan like they couldn't believe what she had just said. Susan steeled her eyes and pursed her red lips before moving back into the house, leaving her three siblings very worried for the future events of the day.

Kate was angry. Actually, that was an understatement. If she didn't have the control she did then she wouldn't have just settled for roughly bumping soldiers with Susan, she would've probably slapped the heavy make-up off of her. Susan knew – she _knew_ how sensitive the subject of her past was and yet she still threw those words like they meant nothing. She was too conformed and practiced to show any of these emotions, she was too mature for that, but all the same it didn't make her invulnerable.

"Hello Kate." A friendly voice greeted. Kate did not realize that she had rampaged into the Pevensie kitchen, startling the Pevensie parents from their places in the room. Mrs. Pevensie was the one to say the greeting, a woman of average height she had a kind face that showed lines of age but showed signs of hostility. She wore a pink dress and an apron, obvious from the mittens she was just taking off (she was cooking, Kate thought), and gave Kate a warm friendly smile. In a rather out of character move, Kate smiled nervously because even with Peter and the others around she still wasn't entirely used to 'the kindness of strangers'.

"Don't look so worried. I promise we don't bite." Mr. Pevensie said standing up before wrapping an arm around his wife's shoulders. Mr. Pevensie was a tall man and easily towered over his wife's frame, however they were at a height that seemed almost perfect for each other. While Mrs. Pevensie had brown eyes, the ones Edmund inherited and brown hair, the in which Edmund and the two sisters were given, Mr. Pevensie had the same dirty blond hair and blue eyes that Peter possessed, and finally understood what the other siblings meant by Peter being their dad's younger twin. Kate had to smile at this. They reminded her of her own parents, and even though Mr. Ellis was never a very emotional man, he always had a special place in his heart for his wife.

"Sorry, I guess I'm just a little nervous. It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Pevensie, and it's nice to see you again Mrs. Pevensie." Kate said taking Mr. Pevensie's outstretched hand and shaking it politely before attempting to shake Mrs. Pevensie's but was pulled into a hug.

"Kate you don't have to perform such formalities with us. You can call me Helen." Mrs. Pevensie said after releasing Kate from the hug, the initial act surprising Kate in a way that reminds one of receiving a gift that they wished for greatly but didn't think they'd get.

"But you still have to call me Mr. Pevensie." The man said with a serious second and for a moment Kate almost believed. That is until the man broke out into a grin and chuckled, causing the other two women to laugh nervously. "No, you may call me James."

The four Pevensie children watched from the doorway and three of the four smiled at the interaction that was taken place. The second eldest Pevensie pretended like she couldn't care less, but that would've been a total lie. Truthfully she grew jealous of Kate because of all the attention she was getting, as silly as it sounded. Not only from her siblings and her parents but even some of her friends who didn't know her during her high school days began to ask more and more about her. It's almost a primal instinct for woman to feel jealous when another woman is getting more attention than they are, that's why women are cattier about issues than men. Susan saw Kate as such: she had the looks and smarts to propel her forward in either a social or career life, and if it wasn't for the asylum stint then she would've gotten there already. But Kate's the kind of girl who can overcome that. Maybe she already had and she hadn't even realized it. _And what I have, _Susan thought. _Good looks alone can only get you so far, and my siblings are becoming as deluded as Kate was. _Susan, perhaps for once in her life, felt inferior to someone, and in a really bad way.

"Lily, there's someone over at the Pevensie's house." Caleb said whilst he and Lily tried to get into Lucas's room. They had tried to get in a few minutes ago after Priya fell asleep. There was something in that room that Lily desperately desired to have but Lucas had taken the extra precautions of keeping them out while he was out. They had taken a break because they had searched every possible area surrounding the door and upstairs hallway but they had yet to find a key.

Lily then clicked her tongue to find her way over to the window and watched aimlessly out of it. "Did you see what they looked like?"

"Not really, but I know that there's a man and woman there. And I think I heard that girl, Lucy, call one of them Pete or something like that."Lily's face scrunched up and her eyes narrowed in concentration. Caleb, who took to noticing everything about the people around him, said "I know that look. What are you thinking about?"

Lily replied "I don't know where but…I think I heard that name somewhere before."

Caleb supplied "Well there was a man in our old neighborhood named Pete. Maybe that's where." Lily's face took on another form and Caleb continued "You don't think so."

"Well I didn't know him all that well. Lucas always told me to stay away from him because he was crazy. It's a possibility but…I'm really not sure. Maybe I'm just making it up or something."

"Wouldn't surprise me." Caleb said wandering back downstairs, and smiled mischievously when he heard Lily call "What's that supposed to mean?"

"So, Claire was six and so-so happy to be a big sister. She wouldn't leave the twins (Ruby and George) alone and would always shove her face into theirs. I guess they got pretty annoyed because George was only a few days old when my mum was changing his diaper and as usual her face was right in his and he peed – right into her face!" This set off a stream of laughter from all of the Pevensies as they ate their dinner and even Susan had to admit that it was pretty funny, though she tried not to show it.

Peter, bringing out his taunting big brother side, said "That kind of reminds me of the time when Edmund was two and Dad decided to change him and he-"

"Alrighty then! I think that's enough about me." Edmund said slamming his hands down on the table only to receive a reprimand from his mother.

"What did he do?" Kate asked Lucy who was next to her.

"Oh, well he-"

"Lucy, if you want to keep your friend 'Liccy Doll' a secret then I highly suggest that you don't continue." Edmund said with a strong voice but the two girls found it even more comical. When supper was over Mrs. Pevensie then started to gather the plates but Kate stood up and began helping.

"You don't have to help." Mrs. Pevensie said.

"I want to."

"No, it's alright. You're our guest."

"Really, Mrs. Pe- Helen, I feel much more comfortable on my feet than sitting down." And so Kate and Mrs. Pevensie got to work on it before Peter came in and asked his mother to leave. With an all-knowing but deeply warning look in her eyes, Mrs. Pevensie kissed her son on the cheek and left the couple be.

"See? You did great." Peter said hugging Kate from behind while she continued with the task at hand.

"How do you know?"

"Oh, come now Kate. You were charming, polite and that story probably set it in my parents' mind that you are funny."

"Hey! I resent that statement." Kate said turning over in his hands and crossed her arms over her chest, pouting her lip and trying to appear mad but failed at it. Whenever Peter and Kate were around each other, it really actually brought out the best in each other. Peter started acting a little more carefree (without becoming too wild but that might be a near impossibility) and Kate was more cheery than normal. Peter then pressed his kissed and mumbled an 'I love you' against her lips, also pressing his body against her and holding her more tightly. She replied to the same and returned the gesture by cupping his face in her hands, playing with the ends of his hair with the tips of her fingers. They only stopped when they heard a door open and feared for a second that they were caught, though the need shouldn't have even risen since they were both adults…in one of the parents' house.

"Listen, Kate, I want to ask you something." Peter said seriously and began to reach into his pocket.

"Okay, but can it wait? I'm sure that your mother doesn't want this tea to get cold." Kate asked and dejectedly Peter nodded, taking his hand out of his pocket. Kate got some tea that Mrs. Pevensie prepared but must've forgotten and fully intended on giving them to her but stopped abruptly as soon as she stepped out of the kitchen and took in the face of who was at the door. There was a loud crash near her and suddenly her feet began to feel warm. Kate was utterly unaware of the stares she was receiving or Peter's concerned words or the sharp pain that was growing in her foot. She merely stood there with her hands still in the position to hold a tray of tea, staring at the face of a little boy who had beautiful brown eyes lightly covered with beautiful blond hair and retained some of his baby fat. The boy was truly no more extraordinary than other boys his age, but to Kate and her memories he was by far the most beautiful thing she had even seen. It was an ethereal experience, like watching a ghost in a dream coming to you, saying words you cannot hear but completely understand.

"….Kate…are you okay? Kate!" Peter's voice finally brought her out of her thoughts and she looked down at her foot, and saw that the pot was broken and tea was spilling all over the floor and a tiny shard had hit her foot. She hissed in pain but steeled herself to stay strong. Peter helped her to a chair whilst Edmund and Mrs. Pevensie helped clean up the mess and Mr. Pevensie stood by Lucy and the boy, who Kate had returned her gaze to. Luckily for her, the boy looked at her also with the same admiration and for a moment Kate thought that maybe he knew her. The boy then bravely stepped forward and walked past everyone else until he was right in front of her. Before another word from anyone else could be spoken, the boy said one word that no one would've guessed.

"Mummy." 

"_We dance around a ring and suppose, /  
>But the Secret sits in the middle and knows."<em>

**~Robert Frost **

**Cliffy! After so long I finally have a cliffhanger. I am very happy today so I decided to update today. I am quite proud of myself though I was disappointed by some of your reviews (I'm not naming fingers or pointing names…wait…anyways I'm not placing but…you know who you are.)**

**okay, so another factor in Ruth and Lucas's character basis was based off of two fictional characters from a television series, now here's a hint: they were only in one episode and their minds were purely criminal. **

**Hope that helped.**

**Bye! **


	7. Couple Quarrels and Solutions

**It's been so long and I apologize. Oh, and another apology for any derogatory terms. I don't mean it. **

**Everything has a purpose. I've changed something quite important in the last chapter. It's directly after Peter and Kate's make out session. **

**Disclaimer: I own my OC's and (finally) the plot.**

**Enjoy : )**

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><p>"<em>All married couples should learn the art of battle as they should learn the art of making love. Good battle is objective and honest – never vicious or cruel. Good battle is healthy and constructive, and brings to a marriage the principles of equal partnership.<em>_"_ **~Ann Landers**

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><p><strong>Couple Quarrels and Solutions<strong>

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><p>Mother. Parent. Protector.<p>

Take a moment to reflect on what these four words all have in common.

…

If you had taken that moment to think carefully as instructed, the first thought that may have surfaced was your own mother and/or father, or a protective friend, or maybe a concerned neighbor or relative. What came to mind it was most likely a warm feeling or happy memory, something that brought you comfort or familiarity just by thinking about it. For most, most memories of their mother are happy ones, with warm feelings. At the very least there's something in there that reminds them of something good. Perhaps it's the smell of her hair, the shine in her smile, the warmth of her arms as they wrap you in a hug, or the feel of her skin as she kisses you on the cheek. Sadly some are not able to call up those memories because there are none to be found, but for others…

"You did _what_?" Lily shouted when Caleb had told her the story of his visit to the Pevensies to get Nasla. The cat in question jumped up slightly from the sound and assessed any danger before curling back on herself to sleep. Lily was rarely out of balance with her emotions, at least in England, mainly because she was so bored most of the time that she really had nothing to control. Lucas rarely let her out of the house by herself since she couldn't see, so she had next to no freedom and when you think about it it's surprising that she didn't have mood-swings more often.

"I called her 'Mummy'. What's wrong with that?" Oh Caleb knew exactly what was wrong with that, but he was too stubborn to admit it. Just like his mother.

"First off, I think you're not supposed to call someone your Mum if they're not actually you're mum." Lily tried to set him down gently but Caleb, when in one of his tantrums, was like a Nasla after a bath – flailing at just about anything that got in his way.

"Well how do you know? She could be her!" Caleb said, his voice reaching a higher pitch that Lily recognized. It was the same defensive tone that he had taken when they first met.

"Caleb, from what Lucy's told me about this woman, Kate, she's way too young to be your mother."

"But-"

"I know you want to believe that it's her because you want a mother so badly. I understand that, I really do, but the woman who could be your mum has to be much older than Kate. Anything else is physically impossible." When she heard the silence broken by a sniff she could in her own way imagine how Caleb's face dropped and his cheeks puffed to keep in the sounds of tears. She reached forward until she felt his shoulders, and then she pulled him to her so she could wrap her arms around him. "Sometimes I feel like something's missing too. But trying to replace that with a lie isn't going to help."

"But I'm sure it's her." Caleb sobbed wrapping his arms around Lily's waste. "I could feel it."

"I hope that you meet your real mother one day Caleb." Lily said smoothing down his hair as he cried in despair. "I'm not sure what she's like but she must be good if she gave birth to you."

"Do you mean that?" Caleb asked looking up and he saw Lily smile off into the distance.

"Yes, I really do."

Meanwhile, in Kate's home, the owner was frantically pacing back and forth in her living room with her boyfriend trying and failing to calm her down. "I know it's him."

"Kate-"

"I mean it's everything about him. His hair, his cheeks- dear Aslan his _eyes_!"

"Kate-"

"And his voice, it was the same. His voice-"

"Kate, for Aslan's sake listen to me!" Peter finally shouted, effectively stopping her tirade. "Think logically. You said that all your children were killed during the raid."

"Not all." Kate defended. "Cailig disappeared…and we never found a body."

"That doesn't prove anything." Peter insisted. "The fact is that this little boy is #1 named _Caleb_ and #2 he ran out as soon as he said those words."

"Well, we came back from being in our thirties, or older, and now we're just starting in our twenties here. Maybe Aslan transported him to safety. That must be it."

"Alright, let's say that parts true. What about his name?"

"Cailig and Caleb sound pretty similar. Maybe he got confused and mixed it up."

"Maybe, but we still have no proof that he is really your son."

"Then I'll go talk to him. Ask him questions that only he would know."

"No, no you can't talk to him."

"And why the hell not?"

"Because if you start spouting out these theories then people will think you're-" Peter didn't want to finish.

"What? Mad?" Peter didn't look at her, but she saw the look on his face and despaired. "You…! You think I'm mad don't you? Well I'm not! I know my own son! He had Aldric's hair and my eyes, Peter, my eyes! He looks almost exactly the same as the last time I saw him! So-So what if I sound a bit mad? Is it so bad for me to think, or dare say it even wish, that my son might be alive somehow?"

"No, Kate! You just don't get it do you?" Peter finally roared, catching her off guard. "What I have issue with is that you're obsessing over this! Whether Caleb, or Cailieg…whatever! Whether he's that boy or not, you can't let your past control your life. You have to let them go, the same way we let the fact that we won't ever return to Narnia go. Maybe not like Susan did, but please Kate, it feels like a hot coal is inside me seeing you like this."

"What are you trying to say then?"

"I can't lose you!" Peter shouted shaking her shoulders and then hung his head. Kate had never seen him like this, and to be completely honest it scared her a bit. Peter then continued quietly "You mean so much to me Kate. We're not children anymore. I love you Kate, and I want to be with you. I am absolutely, 100% sure that I've never felt like this before, for anyone. I love that you're so stubborn, that you always seem to have an answer for everything, and that you can get so annoying when you want to be right."

"Gee, thanks Peter. Is there a point to all the insults?" Kate asked getting more comfortable with their arguing, though she didn't know if that thought was exactly healthy.

"Yes, there is." Dear Aslan this was not how he wanted to do this. He had actually planned on doing this at his parent's house, but now… He started watching his breaths as he got down on one knee and saw Kate tense. He took out a small blue box and said "I've been saving up both money and the courage to ask this. Kate, I know that you've been through a lot in your life, and this has caused you so much pain. But all of those things made you stronger, and I hope that if you accept me, you won't have to go through them alone. Kate…" he opened the box and revealed a simple silver band with an emerald inside, the color of her eyes "…will you do me the honor of being my wife?"

"Peter…I…"

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><p>Peter and Kate weren't the only couple that was occupied, because the next day…<p>

"Lucas! I'm hungry!"

"I'll be there in a minute!" Lucas shouted to Ruth was sat in the car twisted the costume ring around her left ring finger.

"I want to leave now!"

"For God's sakes woman I said I'll be there in a minute!" Lucas shouted back rolling his eyes then smiling calmly at the post man. They were currently stopping at a small post office in a small town. "Sorry about that. We're kind of in a hurry."

"That's alrigh' friend." The postman, a middle aged man with balding and graying hair, assured him. "I've go' a wifey me-self. She can be a piece of work sometimes 'erhself."

Lucas's fingers twitched but he controlled himself. He needed his help if he was to get his present to Lily. "Right, listen, I've got a friend at home whose birthday I'm going to miss so I want this delivered to Finchley as quickly as possible."

"Finchley huh? I don't know, that's a bit of a stretch since-"

"How about…" Lucas dug into his pocket and put in 14 pounds discreetly into the man's hand "…we add this as an _extra_ charge so that the stretch will be more bearable."

The postman got a greedy twinkle in his eyes and put the money into his pocket. "Well, I suppose I could send one of the extras. They don't get to see the outside of this place often."

Lucas smiled. "Pleasure doing business with you." Lucas exited the post office and soon he and Ruth were driving off.

"You know what I don't understand?" Ruth inquired looking at the ring on her finger.

"What?" Lucas asked.

"How come your baby _sister_ gets a pearl ring and all I, your _fiancé_, get an old costume ring? She can't even bloody _see_ the jewelry!" When Lucas didn't answer her she continued "I get it. She's your _sister_ and you…love her. But if we're going to begin a life together, you can't always hold onto her."

"Who says I can't?" Lucas muttered but Ruth sighed. _Shit_, she thought. _What do I have to do to get rid of that girl? It's not like I haven't tried before, but just when I'm so close she gets away! Ugh! As soon as I get back I'm cutting loose ends, even if I have to do it myself._ With a smile Ruth looked over and said "I think we should get married. Today."

Lucas then looked over and nearly lost control of the car. "_Today?_ Are you sure?"

Ruth gave him a kiss on the temple and neck and said "Positive. And we can give it a kick by going on another…shopping trip?"

Lucas smiled and kissed Ruth again, barely swerving around another car, though the two just laughed in excitement. Death was always a thrill for them both.

_The two had met when they were teenagers, though not in the usual expected way. Lucas had calmly stormed out of his house when he entered another stressful argument with his father. Richard Fairwell had never been a very emotional or affectionate man, not to his loving faithful wife or three children. Mr. Fairwell had just been talking to his son about shaping up after the fight that broke out between Lucas and his uncle on his father's side, Paul. Lucas had tried to tell his father that he had a good reason but when he insisted on what Mr. Fairwell called 'The Old Excuse' he flat out refused to listen. Lucas tried not to lose his temper but the father and son were too similar to compromise, and since both of Lucas's siblings were already out with their mother shopping he just had to get out. _

_He had noticed himself getting angrier every day that passed. He felt these certain…urges that started coming into his mind more and more, and not just the regular ones most teenage boys get. He thought that if he just kissed Jenny Larson, the prettiest girl in his school, then maybe he would understand. But with her it felt like nothing. He dreaded the thought of being a queer, but then thought that he felt a spark with Jenny, it just wasn't enough. He then spotted __**her**__, a blond girl his age with green eyes that bored into every person that passed as she took a swig of a masked drink in a paper bag. Suddenly, the thought of his arms around her neck, squeezing the life out of her as her eyes and mouth begged him to stop, filled his head with such euphoria that he had to play it again and again. He took out a pocket knife he had begun to carry around whenever __**he **__would come to their house, but he never got the courage to use it. He gently ran his thumb across the sharp blade and thoughts began to fill his head – very dark thoughts mind you. _

_He ended up following her down an alleyway, and when he was sure no one else was there or could hear, struck her over the head and pinned her to the ground with his hips. He placed the knife at her throat and said in a low voice__ "If you scream, I will slit your throat." __Instead of her begging him to stop like he had fantasized earlier, she just stared blankly up at him. She wasn't even trying to push him off or squirm away. Displeased, he pressed the knife against her throat a bit harder, causing the skin to break, and continued__ "Well, aren't you going to try to escape? Aren't you going to beg me to let you live?"_

_Then she said something he did not expect at all.__ "This is your first time isn't it? Threatening someone's life?"_

_Lucas ducked his head back wearily__ "How did you-"_

"_I can see it in your eyes."_ _The girl said, and Lucas couldn't help but stare into those emerald cut eyes that looked back at him with no fear, no hesitation._

"_See what?" __Lucas seethed._

"_The confusion." __The girl said.__ "The not knowing about what you are, what you want to feel, and then there comes the anger that it born from the realization that you can't feel anything."__Lucas got so angry that he discarded the knife and placed his hands on her neck, starting to squeeze but the girl laughed softly. She then placed her hands softly on his cheek and stroked it, a tender act not truly recognizable to either of them.__ "Shh, it's okay. I was like that too. I know what you are, because you're just like me."_

"_And what would that be?"_

"_Ahh, that's something that you have to figure out for yourself. But tell you what? If you let me live, you won't have to go through it alone. I'll be there with you every step of the way, and teach it what it really means to be alive." __Lucas thought that this was like Eve being tempted by the snake in the Garden of Eden. And while he wasn't completely innocent, he still felt lost, naked and blind. This snake in the form of a beautiful blond girl with green eyes was giving him an apple of truth, some truth to what he was feeling. This wasn't some poor attempt at saving her life like he would've thought, it was something…special. He didn't think he had ever felt like this with anyone, and he only came to remotely loving his sweet baby sister. He wanted answers so badly that he was aching all over, and this girl-no…woman, was giving him the answer. So, it was then that he decided to give her a chance, and took away his hands and helped her stand.__ "Alright, I think I'll give it a shot. But if I'm going to go with you on this, I'm going to have to know your name."_

_The woman smiled and said__ "Well, since you attacked me you should go first."_

"_Ladies first." _

"_I'm not that traditional. Just spit it out."_

"_Lucas…Lucas Fairwell."_

"_Nice to meet you Lucas Fairwell." __The woman said shaking his hand.__ "My name is Ruth…Ruth Amelia Ellis." _


End file.
